Locals hit out at Derby's 'worsening' pothole problem - which they say is costing them money

Derby motorists have expressed their anger with the disrepair of the roads that has caused some taxi drivers to start paying "30% more" for repair costs in the past year or two.

A freedom of information request [FOI] shows that Derby City Council has paid out more than £3,000 within the last year from successful pothole compensation claims, as reported by the Local Democracy service.

So what do the local motorists that frequent Derby's roads think about the pothole situation? Taxi drivers in Derby say the costs are piling up due to the state of the roads they drive on.

Ian Wigley has been a taxi driver for past 36 years in Derby and he expressed his concerns with the deteriorating state of the roads, saying: "The roads aren't good, our vehicles are tested every six months so it puts the cost up and we are spending a lot more on repairs.

"It's definitely got worse, I'd say London Road is really bad and all the roads where the buses are as well. The buses make it especially bad as they are heavier and just cause more potholes.

"My repair costs over the year are up about 30% from a about two years ago. It's hurting us, it's also a lot worse as there are less people in the city centre shopping so we are getting less business which just makes it harder."

Since the beginning of the year Derby City Council, has had over 1,093 reported potholes, with 1,172 reported in 2023 and 833 in 2022, as revealed in a Freedom of information request made to the council. This shows a sharp increase in the amount reported since 2019 with only 756.

A spokesperson for Derby City Council responded to the claims that potholes were a worsening situation in the city, they said: “Over the last few years, we have heavily invested in key parts of the road network, including bus routes in both the city centre and wider community.

"Although they take up a small percentage of our network of roads, we are aware of locations where buses operate which require maintenance. These locations are featured on our future resurfacing programmes.”

It hasn't just been taxi drivers that been effected by the worsening pothole situation in the city. Martin Laycock, 64 has lived in Derby his whole life - he says that this is the worst he has ever seen the roads. He explained: "The potholes coming into the city are terrible. I mean some of them have improved over the years but there are more now than ever.

"I don't know whether it was them or not but I had to get my suspension repaired twice last year and I suspect that the potholes are to blame.

"It doesn't paint the city in a good light if you are coming into it for the first time and you hear a massive bang when you go over a huge gap in the road. A lot of work needs to be done around the roads here, Derbyshire is a lot worse but you would think the city wouldn't have so many problems with it."

So while some are unhappy with the state of disrepair the roads are in, taxi driver Mo Imran said: "I know some roads are really bad but I think most of the roads I use are quite good. I'm happy with the roads, but the traffic around the flyover is so bad. I've been a taxi driver for more than 10 years and I think that the traffic is the worst problem. The A52 used to be terrible for potholes but now it's all good."

Derby City Council reported that they received over £1.2 million in 'Pothole funding' from the Department of Transport, however the council have stated that this funding is for the "longer-term vision" - therefore not just "aimlessly repairing potholes" but adding to the "residual life" of the road, as disclosed in a FOI request.